Using multiple applications to perform multiple tasks is now prevalent in computing systems. A user may use one application for word processing, another application to generate a spreadsheet, yet another application to browse the web, and still another application to view images or playback videos. A user may wish to use data handled by one application (e.g., text, or an image) in another application. The user may do so by “copying” the data from a source application and “pasting” the data to a target application.
Certain applications such as the Microsoft Office® suite of applications allow users to copy multiple data items between applications from the same vendor (i.e., between Microsoft® applications using Microsoft Clipboard®). However, a user is typically not allowed to copy multiple data items between applications from different vendors, e.g., produced/sold by different companies. In addition, a user may not be able to copy data items from source applications to one or more target applications if the user issues a paste command after the source applications are no longer executing. For example, once a word processing application stops executing (e.g., in response to a user request or abnormal termination), the user may no longer be able to use data which was previously copied from the word processing application, in another application (e.g., a web browser or a media view). Certain user applications (e.g., the ClipMagic® user application) provide the capability to copy multiple data items between applications from different vendors. However, these user applications should be separately downloaded and installed onto a computing system and the capability to copy multiple data items is not available unless the user application begins execution (e.g., is started) on the computing system. In addition, if these user applications stop executing (e.g., in response to a user request to close the application or abnormal termination), the capability to copy multiple data items is not available until the user applications are restarted.